We Are Family!

My inlaws left for the village for few days along with Paati yesterday and co-incidentally Sathya and me were home after a loong deflating traffic-riddled ride to JP Nagar and back. While it was nice to have the house entirely to ourselves, do things spontaneously, cuddle up as much and whereever, but the feeling that something was missing was always there!

Not that I dont relish or look forward to undivided time with Sathya or get to be the queen of the culinary land, but I guess what makes such moments treasured is that they are not the norm. It is just so much more fun to be with people, especially when you vibe so well with them!

This brings to mind an old conversation from my college days when talking about marriage and mr.right was probably the most loved topic..yeah of course, after clothes and shopping! We were having a discussion about what kind of familial setup would each one of us prefer post-marriage - a nuclear one or a joint family. While it was obvious that we might not have too much of a choice on matters, it was an interesting hypothetical discussion. Anyways, not digressing too much, I said I would prefer a joint family, especially one like those which come in Rajshri movies...sugary sweet, all candy and hearts type.
Who knew then that my dream would actually come true!

Joint family works for me just because the people in it are so yummy good! They make you want to be with them, plan stuff with them and spend time together. I do confess there are occasional rare moments when I do want to have Sathya all to myself or the house to myself, but like I said, they are occasional rare moments. The time spent together makes up....and my family is sweet enough to make sure that we do get our couple-time or my freedom to cook up stuff or put a cushion in a particular angle :)

It is not like we don't have ups and downs in our relationships. There are times when one person's bad mood rubs off the other, I sulk and pout or just give into a bizarre mood swing and am difficult to be with. Such times usually tide over and the relationships get stronger. I truly believe that in the last 5 years what started as a new fragile relationship, now has grown into a young tree whose roots have penetrated deep. And this happened because my new family were open and genuinely loving. They never wanted to see me as this new outside person coming into the family, but rather as someone who belonged with them. When you get so much love, it is difficult not to reciprocate.

Going by my experiences, I would always want and vote for joint families. However, it might not work for all, for it is the people in it who make all the difference!

And it is not their absence that is making my heart go fonder. More than often, it is their presence! :)